About the Cisco Certifications

Cisco is a leading provider of software and hardware solutions for local area and wide area routed networks. Cisco certifications certify the skills of professionals who design, install, configure and manage these networks. The Cisco certification Program consists of certifications that are suitable for entry level as well as experienced networking professionals. Persons such as system engineers, consultants, computer science degree holders and anyone who is interested in showing his technical expertise with networking technologies can take Cisco certification test and get recognition of his skills from the industry.

Cisco Certified Entry Networking Technician (CCENT) validates the ability to install, operate and troubleshoot a small enterprise branch network, including basic network security. With a CCENT, a network professional demonstrates the skills required for entry-level network support positions - the starting point for many successful careers in networking. CCENT is the first step toward achieving CCNA, which covers medium-size enterprise branch networks with more complex connections.

The Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) certification is an entry-level certification, which is a pre-requisite for all the advanced level Cisco certifications such as CCNP and CCIE. It validates the skills of networking professionals to install, configure and troubleshoot routed and switched networks. CCNA Certified professionals are capable of implementing and verifying connections to remote sites in a WAN. They also have basic knowledge on security issues, Wireless networking and performance-based skills. There are two options to achieve this certification:

The CCNP certification is Cisco's professional-level networking certification. Candidates who earn this accreditation are able to install, configure and troubleshoot LAN's and WAN's, and can do so for small and large enterprises alike. This CCNP test cover a wide range of networking concepts with attention given to specialized topics such as security, converged networks, quality of service (QoS), virtual private networks (VPN) and broadband technologies. The certification requires you to pass three exams: